1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a droplet ejection apparatus, particularly to a droplet ejection apparatus having a plotting system that ejects droplets and an optical system that irradiates the ejected droplets with laser beams, and more particularly to a droplet ejection apparatus that forms wiring patterns.
2. Related Art
When patterning metal wiring using a droplet ejection technique, it needs to reduce process time, cost, and energy in the drying and baking process. At present, the drying and baking is conducted using a hot plate or a clean oven. However, because it takes long time for the process, there are the cost and energy problems. Thus, a process is proposed by which a metal wiring pattern is formed by discharging droplets, and, thereafter, the drying and baking is conducted using laser.
JP-A-2004-241770 proposes an inkjet device, with which a conductive material is discharged on a work on a substrate to plot a conductive layer, and the plotted conductive layer is heat-treated with a lamp or laser light. With this device, an inkjet process chamber that discharges the conductive material is provided separately from an irradiation chamber that emits the lamp or laser light. The work is subjected to the plotting process in the inkjet process chamber, then transported to the irradiation chamber to be irradiated with the laser light or the like.
In the device shown in JP-A-2004-241770, it is difficult to accurately control parameters concerning droplet discharge and laser irradiation, such as the time needed between the landing of the droplet on the work and the laser irradiation because the plotting system that discharges the conductive material and the optical system that irradiates the discharged conductive material with the lamp or laser light are provided separately from each other. Further, because the device of JP-A-2004-241770 has the plotting system and the optical system on different reference surfaces, it takes time and effort to align the plotted conductive layer with the laser light irradiation spot. Moreover, because the work is transported from the inkjet process chamber to the laser irradiation chamber, it requires time for the transportation.